A Good Leader Knows The Teams Colours

Leadership can be a very challenging task. As leaders we don't always get to choose who is on our team. In fact very often a leader inherits a team, of which most of the members have been there far longer than the leader, and may even know more about the work than the leader. Whatever the situation, one of the responsibilities of a leader is to motivate the team to all work together towards the common goal. This can be a daunting challenge. So often the team is comprised of very diverse members, each with their own strengths, weaknesses, and work styles. The team dynamics are also often complicated by internal disagreements and personal conflicts. The leader, not only has work with this group of people, but also needs to achieve the results expected by their superiors.

Leaders can great benefit by being able to identify the types of personality characteristics of team members. By understanding the basic personality types, the leader can use individual strengths of members for the good of the team, as well as assign tasks that individual team member's naturally excel in. A leader can also learn to communicate in a way that is motivating, by taking into account the needs, values and working preferences of different team members.

A good leader will see the greatest results by working and utilizing the strengths and working style characteristics of the personalities on the team. By correctly positioning the individual member strengths and compensating for weaknesses, the leader can bring the team into a productive balance and harmony.

A brief overview of the different values and working styles of the four main personality types demonstrates the importance of this knowledge being part of the successful leadership toolbox. The four types of personality will be described using the colours Gold, Blue, Green and Orange.

The strong Gold employee takes work and responsibility very seriously. Gold personalities want to contribute, be part of the team, and to be successful and productive. They respond well to recognition, rewards and incentives. However Gold team members need well defined responsibilities and structure, firm expectations and timelines as well as being reassured from authority that they are on the right track.

The strong Blue personality needs an open, social atmosphere to be able work well. Relationships are very important for them, and they need the freedom to be able to nurture relationships with coworkers, customers and employers.. Conflict and intense competition are painful for a strong Blue, but they will thrive in a positive, creative, service orientated atmosphere.

A strong Green personality is more noted for expertise rather than people skills. They are excellent working with facts, data, research and analytical projects. Greens shine in their ability for designing, understanding complex systems and strategy. Facts are of utmost importance for the Green, but they have a weakness for routine follow through and are somewhat insensitive in social interactions.

Orange team members are noticeable by their energy, skill and creativity. A key factor for an Orange is the freedom to be able to use their skills and abilities. If there is too much structure, or their boss is very authoritarian, the orange personality feels blocked and does not function well. Orange personalities like people and work well in a spirit of teamwork, competition and camaraderie. They are action orientated, though and become impatient with prolonged talking and detailed administrative tasks.

A leader, by knowing the colours of his team, can use this knowledge to blend the team members into a unified, well coordinated picture poised for success. By facilitating each team member to function in their areas of natural strength and motivating them by communicating in a way that inspires harmony and team work, the leader is well on the way to achieving extraordinary results.

Barbara White is the President of Beyond Better Development. As a speaker and author, Barbara brings her passion and expertise in leadership development to work with people to help them grow towards excellence in their personal and professional life.

For more leadership and teambuilding resources.

Leadership: Seed or Fruit?

Purpose: Learn immediately if you are fostering leadership or ignoring... Read More

Dream Bigger!

A number of years ago we created a graphic logo... Read More

Ten Qualities Of A Great Leader - Plus 1

Great Leaders are optimists first and foremost. Their tendency is... Read More

Beyond Authority: Debunking the Top 3 Leadership Myths

Have you noticed that across the business world people are... Read More

Follow My Leader - To Effect Change, Leaders Must Walk the Talk!

A leader's roleIn any change project, a leader must wear... Read More

The Sink Or Swim Approach To Leadership

Looking around in most corporate environments today you'll find mission,... Read More

Two Leadership Traps: How To Get Out Of Them and How To Avoid Them (Part 1)

You've heard of the Peter Principle: "People are promoted to... Read More

Leadership Development and Jumping Out of Airships

A German silent film melodrama depicts an airship bombing London... Read More

Managing Monsters in Meetings - Part 7, Personal Attacks

Personal attacks hurt people, mar communication, and end creativity. If... Read More

The Greatest Leaders Are Often The Worst Leaders

It's a common occurrence, a CEO leads a company to... Read More

The Three Factors of Leadership Motivation

Leaders do nothing more important than get results. But you... Read More

All You Really Want Is Feeling Good

If I asked you what your goal in life is,... Read More

Using Your Intuition

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our... Read More

Reveal the Leader Within

A Leader is not a certain type of person or... Read More

Effective Leaders are (#2) Technical

SET CLEAR AND REASONABLE OBJECTIVES FOR THEMSELVES AND OTHERS: Plan?... Read More

Quality Leadership

The Lakota tribe of Native Americans has no word in... Read More

Develop a We Focus And Not a Me Focus

____________________________________________"There's only one thing more contagious than a good attitude... Read More

Trust - The Most Vital Component in Leadership

"Trust is the emotional glue that binds followers and... Read More

Leadership Training and Character

The vast majority of leadership training available to managers focuses... Read More

The Synergy Effect

Have you ever considered that everything you want in life... Read More

To be, or Not to be (Average)?

When is hate OK? When it's the feeling you have... Read More

The Top 10 Questions for Socially Responsible Leaders

The assets of your business traditionally include property, plant, equipment,... Read More

Leading In The Face Of Disaster

The date was Saturday, April 11, 1970, the time 13:13... Read More

Five Steps Towards Greater Self Confidence

We watch the star athlete calmly make the final shot,... Read More

Leadership - Passion, Purpose, Profit - Its Not That Hard

Go to any educational institution, look at airport bookshelves, shopping... Read More